A Day at the Museum

In the Museum the visitor can visit the 11 galleries of the permanent exhibition and can travel back to the world of Byzantium through thematic sections concerning the daily private and public life, worship and the burial customs, architecture and art, the commercial and business activity. He/she can discover the continuity and the relationship between past and present.

The audiovisual material and the touchscreens, which frame the main exhibition, inform on more special issues. In that way the visitor can have a complete picture of the Museum’s history, of the organization of the exhibition and of the management of the archaeological material, from the excavation to the Museum, until the final presentation. Furthermore he/she can learn things relating to the history of Museums internationally.

Alongside, the visitor has the opportunity to visit, throughout the whole year, the temporary exhibitions organized by the Museum in the wing of temporary exhibitions “Kyriakos Krokos”, in the multipurpose hall “Eftychia Kourkoutidou-Nikolaidou”, in the reception hall or in the atrium. The themes of these exhibitions are not related only to the Byzantine period, but by organizing them we try to sensitize the public on issues of history, cultural heritage and art and on daily life of different societies and cultures.

Moreover, the visitor can follow, free of charge, by using the entrance ticket, the thematic guided tours titled “An exhibit is narrating…” by an archaeologist of the Museum. Based on a sole exhibit or on a group of exhibits, the guided tour is preceded by a short film on the subject, shown at the auditorium “Melina Mercouri” (1st cycle: Weapons and diplomacy, 2nd cycle: Clothing and textiles).

For the blind people and people with limited vision we have a leaflet in Braille script (Greek-English), a special shaped outdoor exhibition with marmor artifacts and a program of audio-haptic guided tour through the Museum’s permanent exhibition titled “Touch and be acquainted with Byzantium” in three languages (English, German, Russian) and in Greek. Moreover we provide a special brochure for the escort. All these are free of charge by the use of entrance ticket.

The Museum implements various Educational Programs directed at students of kindergartens, Primary and Secondary Schools, teachers, adults, families and people with special needs. For each target group different activities are organized. Moreover there are special leaflets for the teachers, which help them to organize their own educational visits.

Every year our Museum participates in all the activities of national, Europe-wide and international range. These are the “Museums’ Night”, the “International Day of Museums”, the “European Days of Cultural Heritage”, the Full Moon of August, the "Green Cultural Routes”, the Nationwide Campaign of the Association of Greek Archaeologists e.a. On that occasion the Museum produces films of a special thematic and moreover it organizes guided tours, cultural events, educational workshops, interactive exhibitions, all with free admission for the public.

Alongside, we organize and accommodate, throughout the year, actions of scientific, cultural and educational character, of literature and art, such as conferences, seminars, lectures, book presentations, film screenings, music events, in which the participation for the public is free.

All the events take place in indoor and outdoor areas of the Museum, in the atrium, in the reception hall and in the two auditoria (“Melina Mercouri” and “Stephanos Dragoumis”).

Detailed information about exhibitions, events and educational programs you will find on the website in the fields Educational Programs and News–Events.

In the Museum shop (owned by the Archaeological Receipts Fund) the visitor can buy publications related to cultural, archaeological, historical issues, books on art, books for children, replicas of archaeological objects, from the antiquity until the post-Byzantine era, modern constructions inspired by the Museum’s exhibits, clothing, jewelry, practical gifts, toys, posters and postcards e.a.

The visitor can also make a pleasant break or close his tour in the café - restaurant "B" of the Museum, which is leased by the Archaeological Receipts Fund.